Lacombe

Red Deer Emergency Services (RDES) is reminding residents about the importance of preventing false alarms after a notable rise in the number of false alarms in the first quarter of 2025.

From January to March 2025, RDES responded to 1,423 incidents, of which 145 (10.2%) were false alarms. In March, false alarms accounted for 13% of all incidents. Each year, RDES and Red Deer RCMP respond to hundreds of false alarms in our community. Prevention is key, as personnel must respond in an urgent manner putting both emergency personnel and the public at risk.

Educators in the Red Deer Public Schools (RDPS) division took part in a half day of professional development on April 4, focusing on strategies to enhance student learning.   

The learning day at Hunting Hills High School featured more than 70 workshops and sessions designed for teachers, educational assistants, and office staff.   

Red Deer Downtown Business Association (DBA) launched its new Gift Card to drive foot traffic and increase economic vibrancy downtown at the Alberta Food & Beverage Expo, this past Saturday.

The new Downtown Red Deer Gift Card can be spent with a wide variety of participating businesses downtown including services, retail and hospitality. Cards can be purchased online with delivery direct to the recipient and in person.

Amanda Gould the CEO of the DBA says the new Gift Card will encourage recipients to experience all that downtown has to offer:

Work is progressing on Highway 27 through Sundre.

Progress to Date

The detour road opened on schedule April 3 for westbound traffic. 

Drivers are reminded to slow down and use caution as the route runs through a residential area.

Revised traffic and pedestrian accommodations are now in place at 2nd and 4th Streets NW.

The electrical conduit crossing at Centre Street is complete, with electrical on going.

Grading, placing gravel and formwork is ongoing at the south side of 1st Street NW, to the access to Burger Baron.

Red Deer City Council made the following decisions as part of the regular City Council meeting today (April 7). 

Consent: 

Amendment to Lancaster South Neighbourhood Area Structure Plan (NASP) Bylaw and Amendment to Rezone 170 Lancaster Drive    

Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) has been awarded a 3year PromoScience grant valued at $162,000 by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)  

The Red Hot Science program at RDP welcomes youth from across Central Alberta from all levels of schooling to create a unique science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) experience. 

Alberta is fundamentally changing how it funds hospital surgeries, but critics say the change won't improve the public system and will only accelerate more care in the privatized system.

Premier Danielle Smith announced Monday a new "activity-based" model is on the way, to be implemented for some surgeries in 2026. The model ties public funding to the number and type of procedures performed.

Smith said the program will drive costs down by fostering competition among public providers and those who perform publicly funded procedures in private clinics.

Alberta’s government is taking another step toward giving municipalities the option of ditching the RCMP in favour of a new provincial police service.

Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis says an independent Alberta service could step in to help address concerns he's heard about the Mounties' staffing shortages and rising costs.

If passed, a proposed bill would mean a new agency must operate under a Crown corporation that would be at arm's length from the government.

With only three weeks away to the Canadian federal election, the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) are ensuring that agriculture is top of mind for campaigning parties by announcing a new strategic agenda called Unleashing Agriculture for Canada's Growth. Jeremy Welter, vice-president with APAS, talks about the need to improve Canadian agriculture and make it a point of focus for the federal government. 

Ottawa police have released the name of the person they say was behind a massive security incident on Parliament Hill over the weekend.

Police say Tyler Hall-Worthington, a 31-year-old Ottawa man, has been charged in connection with the lockdown Saturday afternoon at East Block, a building in the parliamentary precinct that mainly houses offices for senators and their staff.

An Ottawa police spokesperson told The Canadian Press that the suspect was still in custody as of Monday morning.